Support for rotary kilns



Oct. 2, 1951 s. w. TRAYLOR, JR

SUPPORT FOR ROTARY KILNS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept 25, 1948 t l: f

Oct. 2, 1951 s. w. TRAYLOR, JR 2,570,0

SUPPORT FOR ROTARY KILNS Filed Sept 23, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 2,1951 s. w. TRAYLOR, JR 2,570,032

SUPPORT FOR ROTARY KILNS Filed Sept 25, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 PatentedOct. 2, 1951 U N I T ED S TAT ES PAT-EN OEFFI-C E SUPPORT FORROTARFYJKHLNS Samuel W. Traylor, Jr A llentownpPa. Application-September23,-1 948, Serial No. 50;7 4'7 .6. laim- This invention relates to newand useful improvements in rotary kilns, coolers and .driers. Moreparticularly the present invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in self-aligning bearing constructions for the support andthrust vrollers of such equipment.

In conventional type rotary kilns and like equipment having the'usual.riding rings it is the practice .to rotationally support thekilns by means of rollersupportsand'thrustrollers which are engaged bythe riding rings on the kilns. "Customarily these kilns and similarequipment have a slight longitudinal pitch and any 'm isalignmentbetween the axes of the riding ring and the supporting rollers wouldcause the kiln to be spiralled or twisted in the downhill or uphilldirection depending upon the direction of any such misalignment of the:ring and its supporting rollers.

With the foregoing in mind, one object of the present invention is toprovide a novel selfaligning bearing construction and roller supportfor-rotary kilns and like equipment which completely eliminates anypossibility of misalignment between the riding ring and the rollersupports.

Another object of the invention is to provide a self-aligning bearingconstruction as set forth wherein the bearing member is stationary andthe support rollers are rotatably mounted on the fixed bearing member.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide a novel thrust roller andbearing construction for rotary kilns and the like which may bedesignedto support the calculated loads at the downhill side of theriding ring.

Another object of the invention is to provide in conjunction with theaforesaid bearing .con-

'structions novel means for liquid cooling the said thevariousfeaturesand details of the-construc- =tion and operation. thereof. i'arehereinafter fully secured upon the bed {plate L 3.

2 :set forth and described with reference ate the accompanying drawings,in which: i

Fig. 1 is a side zelevational view 'of pal't of a rotary "kiln mountedupon support and thrust rollericonstructions made according to the.pres- ;ent invention;

Fig. .2 is ayiew -taken on line 2-42, Fig. 1;

Fig. =3 is a view takenioniline 3-3, Fig. 1;

Fig. iris an enlarged sectional view: on line al -"4, Fig.3.;

Fig. 5 is anenlarged sectionalyiew on lined-15, Fig. 3; and

-Fig.;6 is'anenl arged sectionalayiew on. line 16 st, Fig.3.

Referring now ito the drawings, the present invention is shown inconjunction with a conventional type rotary ikiln I having the .usualriding rings secured circumferentially thereof,

. one of which 2318 vindicated "-by ithe reference no.-

meral 2. In accordance with customary p'rac- 'tice :the kiln (I has :aJpitch of between about .rto .zper-footiof lengthlof ithezkiln, andrisirctatably .supported by means of pairs 0f relas tively spacedr'oller :supports S :which are associated with each s riding ring 2. Inaddition :to being supported i-by :the roller supports S, the kiln isusually isuppoi ted at its upper end by means of tatthrustqoller whichissassociated with ,-the. uppermost :riding ringPZ. onithe kiln adjacentthe =usual-drivinggean The roller supportsand in thecase =of the"uppermost riding ring, -t he rioller supports rand thrust .iiroller.may be employed in unitary (assemblies and imounted u-p'o ngsuitable"bediplatesisecured upon suitableioundationsorzbasesstructures, :tor example, of con- ..crete, :having :aepitc'h corresponding to the pitch of the kiln. :Since the .presentinvention :in'volv es improvements in .both the roller supports andthrust rollers, the invention will be described with relation to aneombined (roller su ppol t and thrust roller assembly. tor the.uppermost -i i'di ng ringaz of a kiln -itibeing borne in mind thatassemblies rcomprisingapairs of the roller sup- .ports S alone will beprovided iorsome or all Jo'f the other riding rings 2 o'f the kiln andthat assemblies eomprismg the jthrust roller alone likewise may b'eprovided as desired.

With reference t mbre particularly 'to Figs. 5 and 6 6i the arawmes.; ech of' the -r'oll'er support structures S oom-prises :a pair of mountingsaddles 5 which are bolted tor otherwise fixedly These saddlessarearranged in pl edeterminedspacedrel on (Fig.- 5) aware p eventediromspreading f terally by means -of-=li1gs 6 thereon which engage 3inwardly of an opening I provided in the bed plate 3. As shown in Figs.2 and 6, the saddles 5 provide angularly disposed approximatelysemi-circular supporting surfaces for the opposite end portions 8 of abearing member 9.

The bearing member 9 is of hollow relatively heavy construction andintermediate its opposite end portions 8 and the supporting saddles 5aid member is provided with an enlarged portion III which is the sectionof a sphere that has its center lying in the longitudinal axis of thebearing member 9. As previously stated the member 9 is hollow and theenlarged central spherical section thereof is suitably reinforced andstrengthened by means of a plurality of circumferentially arranged ribsII. In accordance with the present inventionlthe bearing member9 isintended to remain fixed or stationary with respect to its supportingsaddles and the weight of the bearing member and suitable clamp devicesI2 serve to secure the said member against rotation in the saddles 5.

Extending about the spherical section II] of the bearing member forsubstantially 180 of the circumference thereof is a surface bearingmetal I3 such as, for example, babbitt, bronze or other suitablematerial. This substantially semi-circular extent of the bearing metalI3 is arranged circumferentially of the spherical portion I so that itsarcuate center is approximately in radial alignment with point ofcontact of the riding ring 2 upon' the roller support assemblies S, forexample, as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawing. The remainder of thecircumference of the spherical section III has a radius equal to that ofthe bearing metal surfaced portion thereof and this unsurfaced portionof the circumference is provided with a circumferentially extendingcentrally located recess I4 of substantial width asshown in Fig. 5 ofthe drawings.

Rotatably mounted upon the spherical section I0 of the fixed bearingmember 9 is a roller support, generally designated I5, which comprisesan outer annular tire member I6 and a pair of inner annular supportingrings IT. The annular supporting rings II have a cross-sectional shapeas indicated in Fig. 5 of the drawings for contact with the sphericalbearing section In. The rings I! are press-fitted into the tire I6 andare relatively spaced apart by means of an annular spacer ring isarranged in juxtaposition to the tire inner surface in order to providea groove I9, for lubrication purposes, which extends entirelycircumferentially of the spherical bearing section I0. It will beobvious of course that the dimensions of the ring I! and of the spacerI8' must be accurate in order that the former will properly seat uponthe spherical bearing surface.

The support roller assembly I5 is adapted to rotate circumferentiallyupon the fixed bearing section II]. In addition, the overall transversedimension of the'rings I1 is less than the arcuate width of thespherical bearing surface of the section I0 so that limited rotation ofthe roller assembly I5 is provided in a direction transversely of thebearing section II] between limit positions at opposite sides of thecenter position shown in Fig. 5. By this construction, .the rollersupports I5 are self-aligning upon the bearing section I0 with respectto any slight misalignment of the kilns and their riding rings 2.

In accordance with the present invention, the bearing member 9 isadapted to be cooled by discharging i'nteriorly thereof a suitablecooling liquidsuch as, for example, water. For this purpose, the hollowbearing member 9 is closed at its opposite ends by means of plates 29.Cooling liquid is introduced into the bearing member by means of a pipe2I which passes through one of the end plates 20 and is provided withupwardly directed discharge nozzles 22 arranged to discharge the coolingliquid, for example, against the inner surface of the upper portion ofthe spherical section I0 as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings.Cooling liquid discharged into the bearing member 9 collects in thelower portion of the member and drains off through a pipe 23 whichpasses outwardly through the other end plate 29.

In addition, the periphery of the tire I6 of the roller assembly I5 iscooled by providing in the base or foundation 4 a sump or the like 24 inwhich the tire I6 travels during rotation thereof circumferentiallyabout the fixed bearing member. Cooling liquid is circulated within thesump 24 by means of suitable pipes 25 and 26.

Lubrication of the bearing surface is accomplished by a pressurelubricating system of the shot type comprising a lubricant pump 21connected by a pipe 28 to a suitable lubricant supply and by a pipe 29to the bearing. The pump 21 is actuated by a member 39 which carries aroller 3| disposed in the path of travel of a cam strip 32 that issecured to and carried by the tire I6 of the support roller assembly I5.From the described construction and arrangement it will be observed thatupon rotation of the support roller assembly I5, the cam 32 will operateto actuate the member 39 and in turn cause the pump 2'! to discharge ashot of lubricant into the groove I9.

The use of self-aligning bearing constructions for the roller supportsas described generally makes it necessary to use a thrust roller at thedownhill side of the uppermost riding ring 2 only because there can beno misalignment between the riding rings 2 and roller supports S whichmight tend to spiral or twist the kiln in the uphill direction.Moreover, the end thrust of a kiln in the downhill direction can beaccurately calculated thus permitting a thrust roller to be properlydesigned to carry the calculated thrust.

With reference to Fig. 4 of the drawings, there is illustrated a novelthrust roller construction T which comprises a bearing housing member 36which is bolted or otherwise secured to the bed plate 3 upon thefoundation or base 4. The housing member 36 is braced or reinforcedagainst the thrust of the riding ring 2 as indicated at 31. Formed inthe housing 36 is a vertically extending stepped bearing well 38 inwhich are secured bushings 39 and 49 of bronze or other suitablematerial. Journaled in the bushings 39 and 49 is the hollow stepped hubportion 4| of a thrust member 42 which has a roll portion 43 at itsupper end arranged above the housing member 36 with its peripheralcircumference disposed in rolling engagement with the riding ring 2. Anannular ring 44 of bronze or the like supports the lower end of the hubM in the housing 36.

The bushings 39 and 49 may be lubricated by a system of lubricationsubstantially similar to that previously described with relation to theroller supports S. To this end, pipes 45 and 46 lead to the bushings 39and 49. In addition to lubrication, and thrust member 42 and itsbearings 39 and 49 are cooled by introducing internally of the member 42a cooling liquid such as water. For this purpose a pipe 41 extends up- Iwardly within the hub 4I and is provided'with a spray head orother-suitable "outlet which dis- "charges the liquid, for example,laterally against the' inner walls of the hub as shown. The hub beinghollow, the -discharged water descends to the "bottom of the bearingwell in the'housing 36 and is drained off therefrom througna suitablepipe as.

From the foregoing it willbe apparent *that the present inventionprovides a novel-self-aligning bearing construction and roller supportfor rotarykilns and like equipment which-completely eliminates anypossibility -of misalignment be- 'i tw'een the riding ring and said"roller supports.

Theinvention also provides a novel thrustroller "present disclosure andchanges and modifications may be made within the scope of the followingclaims.

l'claimt 1. 'In-a roller support and thrust rollerass'embly,-- a pair ofrotatable roller supports arranged ln rela'tively spaced relation withtheir axes par-- allel "-to "each 013118132! thrust roller intermediateand to one side of said roller supports androtatable about an axisperpendicular to said roller -"support axes, non-rotatable hollowbearings for said rollersupports, a non-rotatable bearing for saidthrust collar, means to cool said bearings including devices tointroduce cooling liquid interiorly-bf said hollow bearings andinteriorly of said "thrust roller, and. means to supply con-tinuously tosaid-devices.

2. In a rollersupport and thrust roller'assem- 'bly, "a pair ofrotatable roller-supports arranged in relatively spaced relation withtheir 1 axes "parallel to each other, a thrust roller intermedi-'-'ate*and-to one side of said roller supports and 'r dtatable about anaxis perpendicular to said roll'er support axes, anon-rotatable hollowbearings for said roller supports, a non-rotatable-bearing for-saidthrust rollerpmeansto 0001 said bearings including devices forintroducing cooling liquid interiorly of said hollow bearings andinteriorly of said thrust roller, a sump -underlyi ngieach of saidroller supports and through which the periphery of the latter is adaptedto pass while rotating, and means to supply cooling liquid continuouslyto said devices and sump.

3. In a roller support and thrust rollerassembl'y, a pair of rotatableroller "supports arranged in relatively spaced relation with their axescooling liquid parallel to each other, a thrust roller intermediate andto one side of said roller supports and "rotatable about an axisperpendicularto said '"i'oller supporting axes, non-rotatablehol-lowbear- "lugs for said -ro11er-supports, a non l'otatable bearingfor said thrust roller, a lubricant-system "includin at least 'one pumpassociated with one in relatively spaced relation "with their axes"parallel to "each other, a thrust roller intermediate and toone side ofsaid roller supports and rotatable about an axis "perpendicular to saidroller support axes, non rotatable hollow bearings forsaid rollersupports, a non 'rotatable bearing for said thrust roller, "a lubricantsystem including at least one pump associated with one "of saidroller-supports operable to discharge lubricant to's'aid bearings, meansto operate said pu'mp including'cam means on said roller supportoperable *upon rotation thereof to effect actuation of *said pump, meansto 0001 said bearings including devices for introducing cooling liquidinteriorly of said roller su port hollow bearings and interi'orlyof saidthrust roller, and means" tosupply cooling liquid continuously to saiddevices.

5. In a roller "support and thrust roller "assembly, a pair ofrotatable'roller supports arranged "in relatively spaced relation withtheir axes parallel to each other, a thrust roller intermediate and toone side of said roller supports and rotatable about an axisperpendicularto said roller support axes, non-rotatable *holl'owbearings for said roller'supports, a non-rotatable bearing for said"thrust'roller, a lubricant sys- "tem including at least one "pumpassociated with 'one'of said roller supports-operable to dischargelubricant to said bearings, means to operate said pump including cammeans -on-said roller sup- "port "operable upon rotation thereof toeffect actuation 'of said pumpymeans tocool said bearings includingdevices for "introducing cooling liquid interiorly of said rollersupport "hollow bearings and interiorly of said thrust roller, a sumpunderlying each of said roller supports "and through which the periphery"of the latter is adapted'top'asswhilerotating'ahd means tosupplycooling liquid continuously to said devices "andsump.

6. In a rotatable mounting, "a non-rotatable fbea'ring memberhavinganenlarged bearing por- "tionprovided with "a surface the section of "asphere, a'roller support journaled on said 'sph'erfor -lubrican'textending entirely circumferenmany of the spherical bearing surface, 'alubricafit'recess in the surface of saidspherical portion and "extendingcircumferentially thereof in communication with "said channel, and alubricant system including a pump operable to disfcha'rge lubricant intosaid channel and main- "tain "'thelatterand said'recess filled withlubricant.

7. lnla'rotatable mounting ahollow non-rotatablefbearingmember having anenlarged bearing "portion provided with a surface "the section df ftainthe latter 'and said recess filled with "111- 'bricant, and meanstointrodu'cea liquid coolant interiorly of the bearing member.

'8.I n a rotatable mounting, a non -rotatable f'b'earingdnember havingan "enlarged bearing-portron "provided "with a surface the section of "asphere, archer support journaled on "said sphen ical bearing portion andproviding "a channer'for lubricant extending entirely circumferentiallyof the spherical bearing surface, a lubricant system including a pumpoperable to discharge lufect actuation of said pump. 7

9. In a rotatable mounting, a hollow ,non-

rotatable bearing member having an enlarged bearing portion providedwith a surface the section of a sphere, a'roller support journaled onsaid spherical bearing portion and providing a channel for lubricantextending entirely circumferentially of the spherical bearing surface, alubricant system including a pump operable to discharge lubricant intosaid channel and maintain the latter and said recess filled withlubricant, means to operate said pump including cam means on said rollersupport rotatable therewith and operable during rotation thereof toeffect actuation of said pump, and means to circulate a liquid coolantinteriorly of the bearing member.

10. In a rotatable mounting, a pair of supporting saddles fixedlysecured on said base in predetermined spaced parallel relation, anonrotatable bearing member having opposite end portions thereof securedin said saddles and having an enlarged intermediate bearing portionprovided with a surface the section of a sphere, a roller supportjournaled on said spherical bearing portion and providing a channel forlubricant extending entirely circumferentially of the spherical bearingsurface, a lubricant recess in the surface of said spherical portion incommunication with said channel, a lubricant system including a pumpassociated with one of said saddles operable to discharge lubricant intosaid channel and maintain the latter and said secess filled withlubricant, and means to operate said pump including cam means on saidroller support rotatable therewith and operable to effect actuation ofsaid pump.

11, In a rotatable mounting, a pair of supporting saddles fixedlysecured in predetermined spaced parallel relation, a non-rotatablebearing member having opposite end portions thereof secured in saidsaddles and having an enlarged intermediate bearing portion providedwith a surface the section of a sphere, and a roller support journaledon said spherical bearing portion and including an outer tire member anda pair of annular supporting rings fitted interiorly of said tire andhaving transversely arcuate inner surfaces in bearing engagement withthe surface of said spherical bearing portion. 1

12. In a rotatable mounting, a pair of supporting saddles fixedlysecured in predetermined spaced parallel relation, a non-rotatablebearing member having opposite end portions thereof secured in saidsaddles and having an enlarged intermediate bearing portion providedwith a surface the section of a sphere, a roller support journaled onsaid spherical bearing portion and including an outer tire member and apair of annular supporting rings fitted interiorly of said tire andhaving transversely arcuate inner surfaces in bearing engagement withthe surface of said spherical bearing portion, said supporting ringsbeing predeterminedly spaced apart and providing therebetween a channelfor lubricant extending entirely circumferentially of the sphericalbearing surface.

13. In a rotatable mounting, a pair of supporting saddles fixedlysecured in predetermined spaced parallel relation, a non-rotatablebearing member having opposite end portions thereof secured in saidsaddles and having an enlarged intermediate bearing portion providedwith a surface the section of a sphere, a roller support journaled onsaid spherical bearing portion and including an outer tire member and apair of annular supporting rings fitted interiorly of said tire andhaving transversely arcuate inner surfaces in bearing engagement withthe surface of said spherical bearing portion and providing therebetweena channel for lubricant extending entirely circumferentially of thespherical bearing surface.

14. In a bearing construction, a housing member having a verticallydisposed bearing well therein, a thrust roller having a hollow hubportion rotatably journaled in said well, a bearing in the bottom ofsaid well rotatably supporting the end of said hub portion,.means tolubricate the bearing surfaces of said well and hub including a pumpoperable intermittently to discharge lubricant thereto, and means tocool said bearing surfaces including a spray for cooling liquid arrangedinteriorly of the hub portion.

15. In a bearing construction, a housing member having a verticallydisposed stepped bearing well therein, bushings in the respectivestepped portions of the well, a thrust roller having a hollow hubportion correspondingly stepped and rotatably journaled in said well,means to cool said bushings including a spray for cooling liquidarranged interiorly of the hub portion, and means to supply coolingliquid continuously to said spray.

16. In a bearing construction, a housing membe having a verticallydisposed stepped bearing well 40 therein, bushings in the respectivestepped portions of the well, a thrust roller having a hollow hubportion correspondingly stepped and rotatably journaled in said well,means to lubricate said bushings including a pump operable periodicallyto discharge lubricant thereto, means to cool said bushings including aspray for cooling liquid arranged interiorly of the hub portion, andmeans to supply :cooling liquid continuously to said spray.

SAMUEL W. TRAYLOR, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in th file ofthis patent:

Great Britain June 18. 1925

